Chris Hayes Has a Point About Heroes

Posted on May 30, 2012

The MSNBC host got flak from conservative pundits and veterans groups for expressing discomfort with the act of automatically branding America’s fallen soldiers “heroes.” Under popular pressure, Hayes quickly apologized. But Erik Kain at Mother Jones wants us to take another look. —ARK

Erik Kain at Mother Jones:

In transforming our soldiers or police automatically into “heroes” we ignore the atrocities our own side commits. In doing so we also ignore the real moments of heroism. We give a free pass to anyone with a uniform and a gun regardless of their individual merit, and lend unwitting support to every war, from Iraq and Afghanistan to the War on Drugs, in the process.